Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

M urdoch stared, his jaw agape as the two figures of Ian and Aila appeared in the doorway.

"Is Eloise being attacked?" Aila said with concern, one hand moving to the doorframe.

"Nae attacked. Something tells me she is quite fine." Ian saw them first through the darkness.

In the name of the wee man above and all his angels!

Murdoch acted fast. He threaded one arm under Eloise's waist and rolled the two of them off the bed, to the other side, so they were completely hidden from Ian and Aila. They landed on one of the furs that had slipped off the bed, with Eloise beneath him, and his hands planted to the furs on either side of her head. Their bodies were completely entwined now, with one of his legs between both of hers.

"Ha! Aye, aye, I think Eloise is in a good place indeed," Ian called from the doorway. "Ye two arenae married yet, ye ken?"

"Ian, take yer wit elsewhere," Murdoch barked at the door.

"If ye didnae wish fer an audience, then dinnae leave the door open and raise yer voices as if ye are calling fer help."

"Ian!" Eloise cried, covering her face with her hands. When she released her breasts, Murdoch couldn't help looking down. She was perfectly shaped, her curves noticeable and her areoles standing pert, either from the cold or the proximity of their bodies, he wasn't sure.

"Eloise…" Murdoch whispered.

She abruptly realized what she had done and covered her breasts once more, glaring up at him accusingly.

"Ye're the one who released them," he murmured.

"Shh!"

"Come on, Ian. Leave them in peace," Aila called from the doorway. "Ye wouldnae want an audience."

"Aye, aye, let us close the door before anyone else walks in on them. Imagine if Avery had been the one tae walk by." Ian's laughter echoed down the corridor as he closed the door.

Murdoch breathed heavily as the door thudded closed, staring down at Eloise. Her blush was no longer just on her face but had creeped down across her chest. Her wet hair was very noticeable now, wild across the furs. He had an image of tangling his hands in it, pulling on it playfully, but he held himself back.

"This wasnae supposed tae happen," Eloise muttered as she closed her eyes.

"Aye, ye could say that." Murdoch didn't move. He couldn't. If he raised himself up, then he'd see the whole of Eloise. He was all too aware of every part of their bodies that touched too, his hips against her own, and one of her legs raised around his hips. They were so close, it would be all too easy for them to explore one another now, to get to know each other more.

That isnae the deal, is it? We agreed on a marriage of convenience!

"Ye can get off me now," Eloise said, opening her eyes.

"And then what? See the whole of ye?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as his eyes dropped down to her breasts again. She wasn't helping matters with the way she tried to flatten them. It made the tops of her breasts crown in a tempting way. He breathed deeply, praying to gain control before his length would rise and she would feel it.

"Then close yer eyes," she hissed and lifted her head. "Murdoch!"

"Aye, aye." He closed his eyes and raised himself up on his hands. "Ye're welcome, by the way."

"Welcome? Fer what?"

"Fer rolling us off the bed. Or would ye rather Ian and Aila saw everything?"

"Oh, aye. I'm entirely grateful tae ye. Never mind the fact the whole of this mess was of yer own making."

"Me making?" he spluttered as in the darkness he used the bed post to orientate himself and sat on the edge of the bed. He hadn't opened his eyes, despite the temptation.

"Aye. Ye shouldnae have been sneaking around when I was bathing."

"I didnae ken ye were in here, and I wasnae sneaking."

"Aye, aye, sure ye werenae," she said with thick sarcasm. As her voice drifted across the room, Murdoch gave in to temptation. He opened just one eye, enough to look at her as she retreated to the other side of the chamber.

He caught sight of her back and her rear, completely bare. He could have groaned aloud at the sight of her. The slim curves were an intoxicating draw, one as strong as liquor. His center stirred and more than anything did he wish to draw her back down to those furs and show her something.

Maybe it doesnae just have tae be convenience. Maybe we could produce that heir.

Yet the way she darted quickly behind the screen told him it was a bad idea. She had no wish to be something more with him, that was plain. It didn't matter that those few kisses they had shared for their illusion had been powerful.

"Ye hidden now?" he said, trying to make it seem as if he still had his eyes firmly closed.

"Aye, I am." The distinct sounds of her flapping a cloth behind the screen followed. He stood from the bed as she reappeared, with it wrapped around her body and her wet hair tangling at her shoulders.

"That is still nae helping." He pointed at her and walked toward the door. "We are tae go fer a ride tae Fairbanks loch once ye are done. Clyde, Harper, and the others are tae join us."

"Very well, I shall be down soon." It was a cold and awkward conversation between them as she headed to the garderobe.

Murdoch's eyes followed her until she disappeared, then he glanced at the ceiling, as if he could look through it to the heavens themselves.

"What are ye doing tae me, eh, wee man?"

"This is the most foolish way tae ride, ye bampot," Eloise muttered as she shifted in the saddle, trying her best to get comfortable.

"Blame yer brother. He was one of those who suggested we all ride like this tae save on taking so many horses," Murdoch whispered behind her.

Eloise forced a smile as she looked around the group, angered at the turn of events. It was a fair day, despite the chill, with the sun shining down brightly. She'd wrapped a fur around her shoulders to ward off the chill of the wind, but the thing that was keeping her most heated was her proximity to Murdoch.

Each couple rode one horse, and as she looked around the group, she saw that both Callie and Aila were of course completely at ease as they rode with their husbands. Even Harper, in her mild manner and reserved way, leaned back into Clyde, though she did not smile. She seemed preoccupied, staring into the distance, as her maid, Beatrice, followed behind them on a smaller mare of her own. Eloise's eyes lingered on Beatrice for longer than they should have done, for she was all too aware how often Beatrice stared at Murdoch.

"Ye are going tae have tae sit still, Eloise," Murdoch muttered, his tone harsher this time.

"What? Why?" Eloise asked, facing forward again as he changed their path. With his arms either side of her waist, he adjusted the reins and turned the horse up the hill, toward a path that led through Douglas firs and Scots pines.

"Because of the way ye are moving. Ye keep adjusting yer hips and then rolling back into me… oh!" He broke off as she rolled into him once more.

This time, she was all too aware of what she could feel. Her eyes widened as she glanced up at him. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he stared forward, refusing to look her in the eye.

"The path is that way," he said, nodding his head forward.

"I ken. Ye can look at the path. Is that…" She trailed off, uncertain how to ask the question directly. She could feel him behind her. His length had hardened, so much so that it could not be ignored. Her mind ran wild, imagining things. With her mouth dry, she continued to stare at him.

"What do ye want me tae say, Eloise?" he hissed, glancing back at the others. Clearly nervous of them being overheard, he urged the horse ahead at a greater pace, increasing the distance.

"Dinnae run off ye two!" Ian called after them. "Unless ye are wanting Avery tae hunt ye down, Murdoch."

"We willnae go far," Murdoch shouted back and rounded a clump of trees, taking a second path that grew level. They dropped down soon enough between low-lying heathers. "There's nothing I can say."

"Nothing?" Eloise asked in amazement. "Ye are…" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Murdoch's eyebrows raise. "What?"

"Stop causing trouble."

"Ye mistake me fer yerself. Ye are the one who wriggled so much ye caused it."

"Aye, I'm sorry, Eloise, but nothing I can dae. Ye want it tae stop? Then pray, stop wriggling." He lowered his lips to her ear and said the latter words so close to her skin that a tremble passed up her spine. "Dinnae dae that either."

"It's cold." She prayed she could blame the wind for it and wrapped the fur tightly around her shoulders. In her fumbling, it slipped off one shoulder, and Murdoch reached up to help her. His warm hand clasping over her shoulder didn't help matters and that shiver passed over her again.

"What did we say about trembling like that…"

"Well, I cannae help how I respond tae the cold." She blamed the weather once more. "Oh, how much further is it? Plainly, ye and I both need tae be off this horse."

"Nae long. Around the next corner." Murdoch urged the horse around great grey stones that were set in the side of the hill, as if they'd been thrown there by some giant long ago, with moss and lichen growing across their surfaces. As they rounded the stones, a glistening loch came into view.

On one side, it was banked with more Douglas firs, and on the other, the hill grew high, with various grey stones shimmering in the light. The loch was peaceful, completely still apart from the occasional ripple cause by fish and insects.

"This is Fairbanks?" she whispered, her head turning back and forth as she admired the place. "Aye, aptly name. It is fair indeed."

"Aye, it is," Murdoch halted the horse by the edge of the loch. The steed lowered his nose to gulp some water. "Our mother and father brought us here often when we were young."

"Yer mother?" Eloise turned in the saddle, realizing she had heard so little of his mother. In fact, she realized she hadn't heard him mention her at all. "What happened tae her?"

"She died." He didn't look at her but stared across the loch. "Let us leave it at that."

He slipped down off the saddle. Without him beside her, she felt colder than before and wished, despite all of their teasing, that he had stayed there a little longer.

Eloise realized as he turned to walk away to greet Clyde, who was carrying the picnic basket on his horse, that she and Murdoch had a shared experience. They had both lost their mothers. She would have liked to have shared something of herself and learned more about him too.

Distracted with these thoughts, she barely paid attention as the others arrived and they prepared their picnic. Both Aila and Callie, despite the cold, braved paddling in the shallows of the loch, with Callie complaining dramatically and her sister laughing at her for it. Murdoch and Clyde sat nearby, talking intently together as they lit a fire to cook the food. Judging from the way they gestured, Eloise deduced they spoke of battle and their scars. The brothers looked closer than she had yet seen them, leaning toward one another and happily drinking from the flagons of ale they had brought with them.

Setting up by the food were Avery and Ian. Though both men kept looking toward their wives at the loch, they were distracted by the promise of food. Eloise sat with her brother for many minutes, certain that he would ask her more questions about Murdoch. To her surprise, he didn't, but he watched her intently. He appeared to watch her the most when she glanced Murdoch's way.

Is he suspicious that there is something more afoot here?

There was one who didn't sit with the others but perched at a distance. Harper sat amongst the flowers, pulling at the thistles and the small heather flowers that were dropping petals. Behind her, the maid, Beatrice, wandered back and forth, collecting a posy for her mistress.

Well, we are tae be sisters-in-law, are we nae?

Eloise looked at Harper and the way she chewed her lip as she toyed with the flowers. Eloise had seen firsthand how close sisters-in-law could be. She was good friends with Callie, her own sister-in-law, and Scarlett was particularly close with both Aila and Callie. With a little luck, Eloise could have that relationship with Harper.

Leaving her brother's curious stares behind, Eloise moved around the loch to where Harper sat amongst the flowers. Beatrice paused in her task with the flowers and glared at Eloise, before returning to her task. Eloise chose not to engage with such glares as she sat beside Harper.

"These are beautiful," she murmured in appreciation as Harper pulled at the flowers.

"Aye, this heather is unique tae this part of Scotland. I have only ever seen it in this clan." She sighed, rather wistfully and passed one of the flowers to Eloise. "Beautiful indeed."

"Forgive me for asking, Harper, fer we dinnae ken each other well yet, but I'd like to ken ye." Eloise sat forward, noting as she spoke that Harper only managed sad smiles. "Are ye well? Is there something that worries ye?"

"Aye, I'm fine." Harper smiled a little more, genuinely this time. "I guess I am just nervous ahead of the wedding." She glanced across the loch, clearly in Clyde's direction as he sat beside Murdoch. Sidling closer to Eloise, she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "It is a lot, is it nae? Tae bind yerself tae a man forever."

"Aye, it is." Eloise's hands fidgeted around the fire as she considered that was exactly what she was doing. She was prepared to bind herself to Murdoch, for convenience, and to avoid Avery discovering the truth about her being an escort for the sake of her father. Clearing her throat, she tried to clear her mind, returning her focus on Harper and her discussion of Clyde. "Ye two are friends though, are ye nae?"

"Aye, we are." Harper nodded, looking toward Clyde again. "But a marriage, it is a huge thing. I just wish my nerves would calm themselves." She let out a jittery breath. "Ye must feel the same, surely? With yer marriage tae Murdoch so near now."

"I cannae deny that." Eloise nodded and glanced toward Murdoch. He said something to his brother, stood, and walked Eloise's way. Distracted, her eyes danced across his tall figure and the athletic stance, as well as his dark black hair that was tousled by the wind.

I need tae get control of meself!

Turning to face Harper, she offered her hand. Harper seemed surprised, her eyes widening, but she took it.

"We shall be sisters then, though, shall we nae? And I'd like us tae be close, if we can."

"I'd like that too." Harper smiled sweetly.

Eloise could see how nice Harper truly was. She might have been a nervous sort, quiet, and with the constant maid at her side who was excessively beautiful indeed, Eloise was not surprised that Harper kept sending her nervous looks too.

Does she fear Beatrice setting her cap at Clyde the way she has done Murdoch?

Any question Eloise was about to ask died on her tongue as Murdoch's shadows passed over her.

"Apologies, Harper, I have come tae steal me betrothed away." Murdoch took Eloise's hand and pulled her to her feet. Eloise smiled at Harper and turned away, shifting an accusing glare at Murdoch.

"I may have agreed tae marry ye, but I am nae yers tae order around and drag from place tae place like mutton," she muttered as they walked away.

"Clyde was suspicious of how ye and I started courting. I need ye tae complete the illusion now," Murdoch whispered in her ear, wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked side by side along the loch.

"Very well, ye have yer wish." Eloise turned to face him completely and planted her hand to the center of his waistcoat, pulling him down toward her.